It's Complicated
by TheMoonclaw
Summary: And it is. This is a collection of mostly unrelated one-shots. Have fun!
1. Masquerade

**Author's Note:**

**This is a little collection I started as a home for all the random, short ideas I've been having for everyone's favorite fan pairing; Kizzy.**

**I've been having so many ideas lately and a couple writers on this site suggested I just put them all into one collection (a complete collection, perhaps?)of one-shots, so here they are! Most will be unrelated to each other, but hopefully they'll be a fun read.**

**And no, I don't own anything except the idea to put these two together. Sometimes we just have to improve upon cannon a littel bit...**

* * *

Whatever one called them, they were the bane of the human race.

Parties, functions, events, celebrations, festivities; they were nightmares incarnate.

At least, Kain thought so. Why he was always invited and thereby forced to go to them was beyond him. Parties held at castles were for royalty, or rich people, or people who had nothing better to do then wear fancy cloths, sip expensive drinks and gossip.

But alas, he was here, and there was little he could do about besides complain inwardly.

The only thing worse than normal royal functions were those of the themed variety. Of which, this was one.

A masquerade. Or so he'd been told. The outfits and masks of the guests seemed to confirm this, but honestly Kain didn't care. He refused to participate.

At least there was free food and an open bar, if one could get to them.

Kain grimaced as another overly dressed noble ran into him and then walked away. It was like treading water just to get through the crowds of people and he sighed repeatedly, resisting the temptation to start shoving.

In the midst of a brief gap where the people thinned slightly, he was caught completely off guard by someone grabbing his arm in a vice like grip, effectively pulling him to a stop.

There was a flash of movement as warning before someone kissed him.

"What in the hell," he muttered, reacting a second too late as the person ran off, disappearing into the sea of people not too far off.

Whoever she was, she was fast, and he grumbled about having to work his way back through the knot of people to try and spot where'd she'd gone.

Once through another batch of people, he paused and glanced about, frowning, unable to spot the woman amid all the other guests.

Kain sighed and turned around, coming face to face with the mysterious stranger who promptly reached out and took hold of the collar of his shirt and practically drag him down for another kiss.

She released him and he gave her a once over. "Izayoi?" he asked skeptically, fairly certain it was her but unable to confirm her identity with the overly decorative mask on her face.

The woman chuckled, "What, you have lots of women come up and randomly kiss you? I had no idea."

He sighed, quite sure it was her now, considering the voice. Though, her disguise was impressive. For one thing, she was wearing a flowing dress of orange. Not only not her typical style but also not her usual colors. Plus the mask of orange and amber colored feathers that hid more than half of her face. It was speckled with glitter and tied behind her head with a complex arrangement of ribbons appearing to intermix with her hair.

Kain was about to ask her why she was here, or a better question, why she thought it would be a good idea to kiss him in a crowded party when she did it again.

Exasperated, he pushed her away, "Your cousin-"

"Has no idea what I'm wearing tonight…" Izayoi finished, smirking.

Well, that changed things.

Kain kissed her this time, reveling in the fact that they were able to in a public event such as this though it still made his skin prickle. It could go very wrong, very fast. If someone happened to figure out who she was, then they would have a lot of explaining to do to a lot of people.

But then again, there was always danger lingering in the background whenever they got together.

Izayoi grinned up at him and laced their fingers together as she leaned forward to whisper, "Dance with me."

He gave her a funny look, "I didn't know you danced."

"There's plenty you don't know about me," she replied mischievously, still grinning, before dragging him backwards with her. Somehow she managed to avoid bumping into people without even looking behind her and he hesitated momentarily.

She may want to dance, but he certainly didn't. Still, if it made her happy, and if it was quite possibly the only time they would get too, then he supposed it couldn't hurt.

* * *

"So…" Cecil started to say.

Kain stared at him, knowing that whenever Cecil tried to sound causal and started with the word 'so' the conversation was taking a downward plunge.

He assumed it would be a question about the party, as that was all Cecil and Rosa and even Ceodore had gushed about for the last hour.

"Who were you making time with last night?"

Kain continued to stare, having not expected his friend to finish with _that_. And not with an annoying grin on his face, either.

Rosa glanced up from her tea, "I did see you dancing with someone,"

"I saw him _kissing_ someone," Cecil teased, still waiting for an answer to his question.

Kain tried not to scowl. He hadn't thought of there being any consequences the day after the event since no one knew who she was. But that was the whole problem, he supposed.

"Really?" Rosa said, looking surprised, "Who was she?"

Kain averted his gaze, "That's…a good question…"

Now Rosa looked scandalized, "You didn't get her name?"

Cecil looked like he was trying not to laugh. Ceodore just snickered across the room.

Kain glared at all three of them.

"You do know her though, right?" Rosa asked, looking at him warily.

"I…yes," he said haltingly, trying how best to put this without saying too much or bringing more questions down on his head.

"I hope so, because I'm pretty sure I saw you two leave together," Ceodore said, still snickering.

Kain turned around to glare at him, biting his tongue against ratting _him_ out about sneaking a kiss with Fabul's princess on the very same night. If only they all knew how vindictive he _could_ be, but wasn't.

Rosa gasped, her already horrified expression doubling as she stared at him with wide eyes. "Kain," she said, a hint of reprimand in her voice.

"I don't want to talk about this," he complained, frowning. He glanced at Cecil for help, but the paladin looked too amused to be of much help, feigning indifference in a conversation _he'd_ brought up by suddenly finding a letter interesting.

Kain narrowed his eyes at him, annoyed.

Hopefully a crisis would arise so he could have an excuse to leave this awkward breakfast.

* * *

"Were you even there last night?" Tsukinowa demanded, focusing on making another paper crane.

Izayoi sighed, "Yes, for the third time, I was there."

"What were you wearing?" Zangestu asked, looking at her inquisitively.

She pursed her lips and glanced at Gekkou, hoping for help. He was pretending not to listen to the exchange when she knew, in fact, he was. He always listened to gossip.

"What does it matter? We're supposed to be invisible anyway," she remarked, glancing at the clock and wishing the last hour before their departure would go by faster so she could escape these questions.

Tsukinowa grinned, "You had the phoenix mask, right?"

Izayoi turned around slowly and fixed him with a lethal glare, "Did you go through my things _again_?"

He laughed nervously, "Maybe?"

"You're dead."

She lunged for him but he scampered out of her grasp and climbed over the chair he'd previously been sitting in, laughing the whole time.

"Wasn't someone wearing a phoenix mask making out with Kain?" Zangestu mused in an overly causal way.

She heaved a sigh, cornering Tsukinowa behind the table in the room, "How should I know?"

It sounded more defensive then she would have liked, but at the moment, she only wanted to murder someone.

"You would if you were there," Tsukinowa sang, grinning at her cheekily.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "If I wasn't there, how would I know that Ceodore and Ursula were kissing on the west balcony and Harley ended up getting sick and throwing up?"

Truth be told, she'd gleaned that information this morning on the way back to her room from Cuore who was, as always, a wealth of strange knowledge.

The other three exchanged a glance and she crossed her arms, "Don't tell me you thought _I _was the one involved with kissing,"

Their expressions were guilty and she flipped her hair over her shoulder, "Oh please…"

Leaving Tsukinowa to untangle himself from the chairs he'd used as shields, she walked towards the door, announcing, "I'm going to finish getting ready to leave,"

She left, hoping that they wouldn't keep asking her questions, and went to find Cuore to pull up some other facts about the night before, just in case.

* * *

**I've had this idea for awhile, actually...and what is there to say? It's a Kizzy fic!**

**Though, I must admit, the scene with everyone quizzing Kain was extremely fun to write...**


	2. Intoxicated

**More Kizzy!**

* * *

Kain couldn't say he was all that surprised to find Izayoi in the section of Giott's castle that was designated as the tavern.

If she wasn't busy working and taking her job overly serious, then she was drinking. That he knew.

Still, he sighed and shook his head, noticing how she was staring across the room, obviously eavesdropping on the only other occupied table in the room.

Kain wandered over and sat down in one of the other chairs not bothering to ask for permission.

"I wondered when you'd show up." she commented, still watching the dwarves across the room.

He shrugged, "As soon as I escaped everyone."

Izayoi grinned, finally glancing in his direction, "Your life is so hard."

"Mm."

He frowned when he noticed the copious amounts of glasses sprawled in front of her, all of varying shapes and sizes, some empty while others looked untouched.

He didn't say anything but she spoke up defensively all the same, "I was sampling. I don't know what's good here."

He raised an eyebrow and she scowled, sitting back and pulling her the ribbon out of her hair, "I've never been here."

"Didn't Zangestu tell you what was good?"

"He doesn't drink."

Kain glanced around the room, "His loss."

Izayoi was busy fussing with her hair, trying to re-do her ponytail when apparently she got fed up and sighed, tossing it down on the table with force.

Kain gave her another look, "Are you okay?"

She just scowled at him, ending the conversation instantly. He knew better than to press her for answers when she got that look on her face.

Instead, he continued to look around the room, surprised it looked largely unchanged from the last time he was here.

It was the first time the dwarves were holding the annual '_save the world'_ day as Edge so _elegantly_ put it, and they had been most excited. He'd been trapped within the pre-celebration for a lot longer then he'd wanted to be, and he could tell it was only a foretaste of the days to come.

He suspected he'd be spending a lot of time and Gil in the tavern.

"Edge told me I don't have fun."

Kain glanced back to Izayoi, surprised she'd speak up again when she didn't look like she wanted to talk about it. Probably least of all to him.

"And?" he prompted.

She had her eyes pinned on the right side wall, "And, I disagree."

"Then why did it bother you so much?" he countered.

She shifted in her chair, obviously uncomfortable, and starting to comb fingers through her hair, though she said nothing.

For some reason, they always ended up having this type of halted conversation about serious things that ended up getting lost in sarcasm somewhere along the lines. It was like they had half a friendship.

It was very confusing.

But then again, when you had an acquaintance that you really only saw once, maybe twice a year and all your meetings revolved around alcohol, it really wasn't a surprise it was bewildering.

"He's just been nitpicky lately." she muttered, "And Rydia's not much better."

Kain shrugged, "Maybe they're just worried about you."

"Maybe they have more important things to do." she snapped, crossing her arms.

He sighed, giving up, and was glad for the distraction when the bartender came over, glancing at Izayoi's pile of drinks and then at her, an unreadable expression on his darkened face.

She pushed one tall, slender glass towards him, "Another of this."

He took a moment before nodding, and then glanced at Kain, who glanced between Izayoi and her chosen drink and sighed.

"I think one of us is going to need to be sober tonight."

She chuckled, watching the bartender walk away, and started playing with her hair again, "Alright, so what's with you? You seem extra irritable tonight. I'm dying to hear the latest gossip from this past year."

Kain wasn't sure if she was mocking him or not and simply pointed at the drink the bartender had just dropped off at their table, "You might want to be careful with those."

She snorted, "You can't be serious,"

"They have a way of catching up to you. There's more alcohol in them then you think."

"How would you know?" she asked, giving him a slightly suspicious once over.

Kain frowned at her, "It's dwarf mead, right?"

"So?"

He sighed, "Just…trust me on this one."

Izayoi chuckled, "There's a story here."

"I don't want to talk about it." he said quickly, meaning every word of it. Evidently, being wasted did not block telepathy.

To her credit, she picked up on his tone and paused, and then shrugged it off, mentioning instead, "Then you owe me another story. I told you my woes, what's been going on with you?"

Kain sighed, watching her completely disregard his advice and down her drink.

He had a feeling she wouldn't even remember any stories he told her tonight.

"Do not say I told you so," Izayoi groaned.

Kain was trying not to laugh, and bit down on the comment to say exactly what she told him not too. Why did no one listen to him?

She moaned again and clutched her midsection, still sitting on her knees. Kain pulled her hair off her face again, just in case, and rolled his eyes, wondering how he had ended up in this situation in the first place. He probably should have left her to her own devices.

Luckily she didn't vomit this time and finally sat back, leaning her head back against the wall, eyes closed, "And my cousin says I don't have fun,"

Kain chuckled, brushing a strand of hair off her face and mentioning, "You should just sleep this off."

"Don't tell me what to do." she snapped, though with her slurred speech, she sounded anything but threatening.

He frowned, "Stop being so defensive. I'm trying to help."

Izayoi opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him. She didn't say anything and finally he shook his head, mentioning, "I'll walk you to your room."

He wasn't sure why she was staring at him but he ignored her and practically dragged her to her feet, watching with amusement as she swayed. He kept his hands on her elbows to steady her, but she tried to pull away.

"I don't need your help,"

Kain, to prove a point, let go and she stumbled forward, catching herself on the back of a nearby chair with another groan.

"Really?" he said dryly.

Izayoi leveled a glare at him, but he just grinned back at her, finding her to be far less imposing then she normally was. Her dirty looks and snappy remarks were humorous when she didn't have the strength to back them up.

Kain gently took hold of her arm again, pulling her upright when she wheeled around and poked him in the chest.

"You're a bastard." she complained. He just looked at her, unimpressed, "So I've heard."

"And a jerk," she added, glaring up at him.

Kain shrugged, "And?"

Izayoi paused to consider this and finally sighed, giving up, "I don't even know. I haven't been this drunk since…no, I've never been this drunk."

Kain nodded and steered her away from the chair, "I've never seen anyone this drunk."

"I find that hard to believe," she said haughtily.

Kain didn't bother to reply and focused on making sure she didn't trip as they made their way down the hall. He really hoped they didn't run into anyone at this late an hour. He really didn't want to explain the situation, especially since he had a feeling they would blame him somehow.

Izayoi heaved a sigh, "I'm going to be so sick tomorrow, and I'm supposed to go with Edward and Rydia to the first day of hellish meetings…"

Kain did not miss the slip up on her cousin's name and smirked, trying not to let his amusement seep into his voice.

"Can't you just switch with one of the other four?" he asked, confused.

She looked at him, horrified, "And explain this?"

He chuckled and she snorted, "No, no, I…would rather suffer silently. Those three are the most immature, ridiculous lumps of flesh I have ever met."

"You think so little of your teammates," he commented, bringing her to a halt as she nearly ran into a wall.

"No, I really don't. I don't trust anyone as much as them." she retorted sharply, as if he had misheard her words entirely.

Kain frowned, and she continued, parts of her story making little sense, "I mean, they're annoying, but we never got along so well…when I first got back I just about left right away again. My damn cousin's obnoxious sense of humor, shoving the four of us together and making it work, somehow."

She reached out her hand to grasp the wall, wincing, and Kain paused next to her, waiting to see if she'd pass out. He was pretty sure she was going too eventually.

Instead, she kept talking sleepily, "I wouldn't have really left. I was too happy to be back."

"You really didn't like Troia," he observed, glancing up and down the hallways for possible witnesses to this disaster. To his relief, he saw none.

"No, I didn't, but it's not like I could stay, either." she muttered.

Kain was confused and blinked, "You're not making any sense, Izayoi."

She scowled at him and took a deep breath, "Stop being so mean and shut up." She insisted, twisting her arm out of his grip, "I didn't want to go there, I wanted to stay home, you know."

He caught her arm again and tugged her away from the wall, "Come on, your just getting more and more delirious."

Izayoi glared at him and pulled away again, "You're not listening. I didn't want to go to Troia, but they made me."

"Who?" he asked, frustrated and puzzled.

"My aunt and uncle," she answered, rolling her eyes, "they were worried I was going to steal the throne from Edge as I got older."

At that comment, she chuckled, bringing one hand up to her forehead where a headache was sure to be raging. "Can you imagine?" she said, still laughing, "Me, as a queen. Obviously they didn't know me all that well…"

Kain was suddenly uncomfortable with where this conversation was headed. Izayoi was not the type of person to willingly divulge personal information like this, and if it weren't for the five glasses of mead and other assorted drinks in her system, she never would have.

He hesitated and then took her arm once more, prying her hand away from her face, "Alright, before you start telling me your life story, let's keep moving."

He was half-joking, but she stumbled after him and teased, "What, you don't want to hear about my awkward teenage years?"

Kain liked gossip as much as the next person, but he certainly did not want to hear anything more from her this evening. He knew enough to get him into all sorts of trouble as it was.

She tripped over her own feet and collapsed against him as they rounded a corner, clutching his arm for dear life. Once he straightened her back on her feet, she glared at him, "Don't tell my cousin,"

"He doesn't know?" Kain asked, surprised.

Izayoi made a face, "Why would I tell him that _now_?"

They were in the general vicinity of her room and he turned her around, steering her by her shoulders onward. "Let's just get you into bed before you pass out on me."

Izayoi dissolved into a fit of giggles, and he winced, realizing how that comment could be taken the wrong way, especially to someone as highly intoxicated as Izayoi was currently.

"Irony!" she exclaimed as they stopped in front of her room.

As he fussed with the door handle while still trying to keep her from falling over, he asked absently, "What's ironic?"

She was leaning against the wall and mumbled, "That fact that the only way I can get you into my room is being so drunk I can't even walk."

Kain pushed her door open with more force than was probably necessary, confused once again, "What?"

She staggered inside without his promptly, heaving a heavy sigh, "I've been trying to seduce you for months,"

Kain stopped in her doorway, wondering and hoping he had misheard that last statement.

Izayoi was clinging to one of the walls and, probably due to his lack of response, she glanced over her shoulder at him.

"You didn't even notice?" she asked, sounding disappointed, "That's almost as bad as just not being interested…"

She trailed off, getting distracted by texture on the wall, apparently, as she started to stroke it and make faces.

"Wait, you—what?" Kain stuttered, still wondering if she had said that.

Izayoi glanced back at him, expression flat, "I've been trying to seduce you, but I didn't want you to think I was some slut so I was _trying_ to be subtle. Apparently_ too_ subtle…"

Kain wasn't sure how someone could use the word 'seduce' and the word 'subtle' in the same sentence, but he was really too stunned by her confession to say or do much of anything.

Izayoi had wandered away from the wall and talked, loudly, flinging her hands open wide, "It's funny. Irony, I mean. I hate it."

He shook himself out of his daze as she turned and gave him a once over before pointing in his direction, "Your grumpy again."

She sidled up to him and squinted, "You really _don't_ like me, do you?"

He could actually hear the disappointment in her voice but all he could think to reply with was, "You're drunk."

Izayoi was not impressed, "Thank you, captain obvious."

Her sarcastic tone suddenly changed to a lower one, "I am drunk, and completely out of my right mind, and vulnerable…"

"And I had to hold your hair for you while you threw up for ten minutes." Kain replied, unable to keep the grin off his face.

If she was hoping that this whole situation would somehow turn into a romantic one, she was going to be disappointed.

Izayoi giggled at the comeback and rested her forehead against his chest, "You're a jerk."

"You've already told me that once tonight." he replied, frowning. He gently set his hands on her shoulders, "Come on, you need to sleep."

She sighed, but didn't complain and instead let him guide her further into the room, dragging her feet as she went.

She sat, or more like crumpled, onto the edge of her bed and then glare at him, "If you ever repeat any of this, I'll silt your throat Kain."

He smirked as she fell over, curling into a ball on her bed and muttering something about the next day under her breath.

"Don't worry," Kain whispered, brushing a couple strands of hair off her face, "Your secrets are safe with me."

He leaned down and kissed her cheek, "Goodnight."

She muttered something incoherent and he shook his head, interested to see her at the meeting the next day. Now that would be entertaining.

* * *

**Author's Note: I wanted to write something with Izayoi getting wasted, what can I say? Obviously, this takes place before they are actually 'together' as teh case may be.**

**I realized I had never finished out the rest of Izzy (Or the other three's,) back story before so I put that in here. Who knows, maybe the others will come up in other fic somewhere since I have them all planned out...**


	3. The art of escape

**A little Kizzy fun for the weekend!**

* * *

"Do you have a dagger on you?"

Izayoi made a face and glanced up from the tabletop, thinking what an odd request that was to hear at a formal event in Damcyan of all places.

She made a face at Kain, who was still waiting for her answer.

"Yes," she said slowly, "Of course…"

"Can I have it?" he asked.

Now she was truly suspicious and she sat back in her chair, keeping her voice tone low like his as to not disturb the rest of the table's occupants.

"Not without telling me who it is you intend to stab with it," Izayoi commented, trying not to grin.

Kain sighed and looked around the table, "Myself. I have to slash my wrists before I die of boredom."

She chuckled, amused though also surprised that he seemed even more against this dinner party then she was. They appeared to be the only ones. Everyone else was chatting and laughing and being overly cheerful.

She wanted to gag.

But she wasn't quite to the point of suicide.

Yet.

"That's a little messy for the dinner table," she teased, adding afterwards, "And bleeding out from that sort of injury takes a long time. Better to go with a direct approach."

Kain nodded, "Fine, then stab me right in the jugular."

"Oh, I see I'm the one doing the stabbing now," Izayoi complained, setting her fork down and abandoning the idea of trying to figure out what she was actually eating in favor of continuing this game with her companion.

"You _do_ have more practice," he retorted.

She smirked, wondering how he always set _himself_ up for harassment. "I think you're pretty good at it. But I guess that's _backstabbing_, isn't it?"

Kain scowled at her. Izayoi just smiled back.

Whoever decided that they should sit together had a wicked sense of humor, but Izayoi wasn't complaining. She'd rather ignore talk of…whatever it was the others did talk about, and continue this adversarial argument.

"Says the woman who sleeps with a dagger." Kain muttered hardly under his breath.

It was Izayoi's turn to scowl, "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Nope."

She turned decisively away, "Then don't expect me to stab you."

Kain frowned, "Well, how about putting some poison in my wine?"

"You assume I have any on me,"

"It is your specialty."

Izayoi grinned at him, impressed he remembered her joking about that being the only useful thing she'd learned in Troia. Though, the class on poisonous plants was probably to help you avoid them, not seek them out.

She leaned over and glanced at his glass and then shifted her gaze to him, "I would, but you drank all your wine already."

"Another thing that's wrong with this evening," Kain grumbled, tapping the glass, "No refills."

She shook her head, brushing some dark hair over her shoulder, and mentioned, "Why don't you just leave?"

"And invoke Rosa's wrath?" he pointed out, "I'd rather not. I'd need an excuse to get out of here. A good one."

"Well I think it's silly you don't just leave if you don't like it here." she said.

He pinned her with a look, "And you're staying because?"

Izayoi shifted uncomfortably; annoyed he had turned the tables on her. "I'm…here as a bodyguard."

"Then what's Gekkou also doing here?" Kain shot back, "You're telling me your cousin needs two people protecting him at a friendly dinner?"

She fidgeted and he continued, "More than likely, Rydia made you come because she feels sorry for you that you never get out and have fun."

Izayoi glared at him, "That is…"

She trailed off and then heaved a sigh, "Exactly what happened. How the hell did you know?"

Kain shrugged, "A good guess. Besides, she is your sworn sister…"

"You can mock that all you want, but I'll have you know-"

"I wasn't mocking it!"

"Sure you weren't,"

Their argument had drawn some attention from the other guests and they both fell silent and stared at opposite walls until the conversation around them returned to normal.

"Sneak me out of here." Kain said.

Izayoi glared at him, "I owe you nothing."

"Please?"

"No."

They both refused to speak for a few minutes, and Izayoi tuned back into the conversation at hand only to be mortified when the spoony bard mentioned that he wanted to sing his new song for them all.

With wide eyes, she glanced at Kain, who was wearing the same expression.

"Get us out of here. _Now_."

Izayoi pursed her lips, "Are you sure? You might not like my way of getting us out of here,"

Kain shook his head, "I don't care."

She nodded, taking him at his word and deriving slight satisfaction from what she was about to do. Her anger towards the moody dragoon never lasted long, but he had insulted her this evening so this would be a little fun.

Besides, not many people knew what a good actress she could be.

Izayoi took a deep breath, picked up her glass and shouted, "You are a jerk!" before throwing her full glass down onto the table in front of him. It shattered and showered him with flecks of glass, though mostly wine.

"What in the hell?!" Kain exclaimed, shocked.

She leaned down to grab his arm and hissed as she pulled him to his feet, "I'm getting us out of here,"

Louder, she announced, "Alright, we're settling this the old fashioned way! Come on."

As Izayoi dragged him out the door, she heard Palom mentioned, "Geez, what did he do to piss her off?"

Once the double doors closed, she smirked and looked at her companion, who was scowling at her.

"You're welcome," she prompted.

Kain was unmoved, "I'm welcome? You might as well have broken that glass over my head! I could have gotten glass in my eye."

Izayoi groaned and walked by him, flipped her dark hair as she went. "Don't be such a baby. I got us out of there, didn't I?"

He grumbled something she didn't catch and she just paused at the end of the hallway, "Well, are you coming?"

"Where?" he asked, picking glass bits off his sleeve.

Izayoi shrugged, "Somewhere infinitely more fun than where we were."

"Is there alcohol there?" he asked, still trying to rid himself of glass.

She grinned, "And no spoony bards."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I don't know. These two...well, what can you say? Somehow, no matter what, whatever these two say...sounds like...there's double meanings...

I'll let everyone reading decide if this takes place before they are 'together' or while they are. I certainly have no idea...

And finally Izzy wins one!


	4. What's in a Name?

"Abel."

Izayoi groaned, "Too boring."

Kain sighed, rapidly growing more annoyed each passing second. He was doing little to hide this fact, but she was just as irritated.

It had already been an hour of them discussing names and tossing ideas out and neither of them could agree on anything. In fact, they'd shot some colorful remarks back and forth about the topic.

She frowned and then shrugged, "What about Susumu?"

"That sounds like food." Kain informed her dryly.

She glared at him, not amused and he just commented, "Well, it does!"

Izayoi sighed, "I want it noted that you haven't come up with anything that's been very good, either."

"Fine, what about Jon."

Izayoi shook her head so hard her ponytail whipped over her shoulder, "Too common. Fifty other kids are going to have the same name."

He frowned, but didn't argue with her. In fact, he looked distracted at this point, or was just trying not to look interested in the hopes she'd let him leave.

He would be disappointed if that were the case.

"Ryuunosuke."

Kain grimaced, "Because that rolls _right_ off the tongue."

"At least its unique!" she countered, somewhat insulted he kept making fun of her choices.

"And completely impractical!" Kain complained, "I'm not naming our child something that no one is going to be able to say."

Izayoi scowled at him and crossed her arms, "Well I'm not naming him something dull and generic, either."

"What does it matter? He'll probably shorten it to something inane anyway." he snapped.

She narrowed her eyes, "There won't be anything to shorten if we pick something with only four letters in it."

They both held their glares for a second and then looked away, at opposite walls, fuming. Izayoi wanted to smack him, or get something to drink.

Since neither was an option, currently, she just tapped her foot under the table impatiently.

This was getting them nowhere in a hurry, and nothing was going to ever be resolved because she already knew they were both far too stubborn to change their mind. They would have to find something they could agree on.

There would be no compromise.

A sudden though occurred to her and Izayoi muttered, "You know, we might have a girl."

They hadn't even opened that can of name worms yet, and she realized this process could now take double the time.

But Kain surprised her by grumbling, "I always thought if I had a daughter I'd name her Freya."

Izayoi made a face, "Why?"

"It was my mother's name." he replied absently, obviously still sulking.

She paused, considering the name. It actually wasn't _terrible_.

Besides, it was sentimental, and Kain was never sentimental.

"I can live with that." she commented, nodding.

His expression was dubious, "Really?"

"Yes."

There was a moment of silence and she reminded him sharply, "But that doesn't solve our problem if it's _not_ a girl."

Kain groaned, "I don't even care anymore. Just _pick something_."

"You don't care?" she demanded, insulted.

"No, I don't care if it sounds like sauce you put on vegetables, just pick something because you know we'll never agree!"

Izayoi was up for the challenge.

"You are not getting out of this that easily!"

Kain made a surprisingly whiney sound and leaned his elbows on the table.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

**Author's Note: I felt like I hadn't uploaded anything in ages, so here's a short little chapter...**

**Oh look, these two are arguing. That never happens...**

**Why Freya? Because she was Final Fantasy IX and I needed a girl's name that made sense. Why the others? Hehe...oh, for the laughs, my friends...for the laughs.**

**Have a good weekend everyone!**


	5. Inside Joke

**This one...I may be a little ashamed of writing it. There happens to be a funny story to go with it that is explained in the A/N at the bottom, but...**

**This chapter needs the T rating for sure and it's...kind of inappropriate, maybe...**

**Also, you really have to read Mythweaver's Kizzy stories to completely get the joke in this. Trust me.**

* * *

Kain knew that he and Izayoi limping into the infirmary would probably become a 'big deal'. He had hoped to keep the gossip at a minimum, however.

But all his hopes were dashed when they entered and Rosa happened to be present. He tried not to wince.

Her eyes widened, "What happened to you two?"

They both glanced at each other, and Izayoi frowned when she replied, "Sparring."

Rosa's shocked expression turned into a scowl, "With real weapons, no doubt. How many times have I warned you against doing that?"

Izayoi made a face, "But without real weapons, it's not really practice, now is it?"

Rosa muttered something under her breath about _Eblan_ and _stubborn_, but Kain didn't quite catch all of it. He did, however, glare at three of the white mage trainees gossiping in the back of the room.

They looked around as if the labels on the potions in front of them were suddenly interesting.

Izayoi was still clutching her side and she hissed when Rosa prodded the spot with her fingers.

"I have a broken rib," Izayoi complained, brushing the other woman's hand away, "and some other minor cuts but really I'm concerned about the fact I can't breathe right now."

Rosa pursed her lips, probably biting back a retort, and she glanced at Kain, who shook his head.

"I'll live. Izayoi needs to be treated first."

Rosa heaved a sigh and held a hand out to one of the open beds, "Have a seat,"

Izayoi cringed as she walked, but she also smacked Kain's hand away when he tried to help. "Don't you dare,"

He sighed, giving up, and trailed after her slowly, ignoring his own injuries.

Rosa, however, had done something worse than merely be present and snagged Kieran as he walked by, telling him to fetch Edge and Rydia because _apparently_ she thought they needed to be here.

Kain really wished she hadn't of done that. This whole situation was going to be a mess to begin with, and their involvement would only make it worse.

Rosa poked around Izayoi's side and declared after a moment, "A broken rib,"

Kain grinned at the way Izayoi looked at the white mage; exasperation, insult and amazement fought for equal attention on her face.

"I'm shocked by this news," Izayoi muttered under her breath. Rosa frowned and poked her one more, making the dark haired woman recoil.

They glared at each other for a moment before Rosa stood up , though her attention was quickly diverted.

They all looked towards the door as Kieran returned with the king and queen of Eblan and then hung back by the door, obviously curious as to what was going on.

Edge spoke first, "You two look like hell. What happened?"

Izayoi rolled her eyes and Kain frowned at how he didn't really seem all that concerned.

"Another sparring accident," Rosa informed him tartly, "I swear, I'm going to ban weapons from the castle."

"Really?" Edge said, catching onto the first part of her sentence. He looked like he was trying not to laugh.

Izayoi frowned at her cousin, "Yes, I broke my rib while _sparring_."

She put emphasis on the last word, pinning him with an annoyed look. He pretended not to see it.

"Wow, that must have been _some_ spar…"

"Shut up Edge." Izayoi snapped, wincing afterwards. She held her side again while Rosa bent down to get a closer look, "It will take me a few moments to put this back together, try to hold still. I'll deal with the other cuts once you can move again."

"Cuts?" Rydia asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kain was annoyed when Izayoi nodded her head towards him, as if it was his fault. Which, he supposed it was, but he had been doing such a good job of avoiding attention up until now.

"Well you dislocated my shoulder," he snapped back, glaring at her. "And you're not the only one with cuts and bruises,"

Edge snickered, "You two really went at it, huh?"

They both glared at him.

Kieran finally spoke up, leaning against the doorframe as he mentioned, "Um, I don't think you guys are doing it right if you're getting_ that_ injured."

That comment made Edge chuckle again, and Kain narrowed his eyes menacingly at his apprentice. He wasn't sure if Kieran was up on the joke or if he actually was referring to sparring. The look on his face was impassable.

Either way, Kain wanted _everyone_ to leave the room.

Izayoi was gritting her teeth as Rosa worked and Rydia studied her, "I'm really impressed. I've never broken a bone while…_sparring_."

Edge was gone in another fit of laughter and at the glares sent their way, Rydia just smiled sweetly.

Rosa looked up from her task, hands alight with magic, and gave Rydia a puzzled look. "Rydia, I didn't think you sparred,"

"Well, actually," Edge interjected in an annoying voice tone Kain recognized all too well. "She's been doing a lot of _sparring_ since she moved to Eblan."

Rydia and he dissolved into laughter again, making Rosa give them strange looks, obviously confused as to what was so funny.

Kain wanted to resort to violence at this point, and he suspected Izayoi would have already if she wasn't incapacitated with an injury.

They both exchanged a look of silent frustration at the situation that was, for once, not something they deserved to be teased about.

Yes, their spar had turned rather vicious and dirty, but no one would have even known about it if not for their injuries. Usually it wasn't so bad and he could just heal them with his limited knowledge of white magic.

In the meanwhile, Rosa, apparently fed up with the humor of the rest of the room and completely oblivious of the joke, scowled.

"I don't see what is amusing about a broken rib!"

Rydia managed to calm down enough to just grin and reply, "Nothing, it's just…the _way_ it happened."

Edge was still snickering, and Rosa glanced between them, then at Kain, as if asking him to explain it.

Which, he wasn't about to do.

He shrugged his uninjured shoulder.

Izayoi's expression was permanently set in quiet rage, probably more over the fact everyone was ignoring her serious injury then the teasing, and Kain fidgeted, wanting to bolt from the room.

Rosa stood up completely, healing job mostly finished though she left the dark haired woman awkwardly sitting with the skin half-way treated.

"Alright, you three need to leave. You're terribly distracting and I still don't understand just what you find so uttering amusing about this." the white mage complained, looking very put out.

Edge grinned at her, looking like he had a smart remark to fire back, but she just narrowed her eyes and pointed to the door. "Out."

They obeyed, and Kain rolled his eyes, glad to be rid of the commentary for a few moments though he knew this was far from over.

"I don't think she gets the joke," Rydia commented, sounding slightly guilty.

Edge shrugged, uncaring.

Kieran smirked, "Well, maybe Cecil can explain it to her later."

There was a pause, and then the three of them burst into uproarious laughter that followed them down the hallway.

Kain glared after them and turned back just as Izayoi glanced at him.

She made a throat cutting motion and he nodded agreement.

Someone was dying after today.

* * *

**So, yes...that. I'm sorry...**

**But, here is the story behind this one:**

**A co-worker of mine showed up to work sometime last month declaring that she had 'broken her rib' (Which, she didn't, but that's really not the point of this story,) and then she proceeded to tell us the story of how this supposedly happened...at night...doing...erm...things...with her BF...I didn't really care the first time, and by the fourth re-telling, I was pretty fed-up.**

**It now may be a personal joke of mine to make fun of her...which is kind of mean...isn't it?**

**ANYWAY, then Mythweaver wrote her latest Kizzy stories and I couldn't resist but weave all this together.**


	6. Conflict of Interest

**Hey, more Kizzy!**

* * *

Izayoi would never understand why her cousin wanted his own airship.

The entire building rattled when one flew by and she cringed, glancing out the window and wondering why they flew so close to their own castle.

And yet, here she was for the third day in a row of her second trip to Baron for this stupid ferry lane idea that Cecil came up with.

She was annoyed they only wanted to short-cut through Eblan's airspace and not anyone else's. Or maybe everyone else had already flat out said no.

"I'm pretty sure last night was a conflict of interest," Kain remarked, glancing at her.

Izayoi flicked her hair over her shoulder, "And I'm pretty sure I don't care."

It was the complete truth. She didn't care.

"But last night did have suspicious timing…" Kain muttered,

She paused in the hallway and smirked, pretending to look out one of the window as she commented, "Are you saying that when my cousin wants something he sends me to go seduce someone and get it for him?"

When she didn't get a reply, she glanced over her shoulder at Kain, who was making faces.

"That…sounds really bad when you put it that way."

"It's what you were implying, though, right?"

Kain scowled at her and shoved her slightly as he walked by, obviously still caring if they arrived on time. "Well, it was _your_ fault."

Izayoi wrinkled her nose and caught up, "How so? I'm pretty sure we ended up in _your_ room,"

"I'm pretty sure _you_ kissed me first," he countered.

She rolled her eyes, "I'm pretty sure you got me drunk first,"

He stopped walking again and laughed dryly. "I got you drunk?" He repeated, shaking his head. "I'm not the one who drunk an _entire bottle_ of scotch, _by herself_, and then wanted to crack open the rum."

Izayoi frowned, muttering under her breath, "Which, you wouldn't let me do."

"Because I didn't want you _that_ hung over today. We're supposed to be negotiating this ferry lane system."

Kain acted like he was reminding her of this fact, so she just stared at him with a blank expression. "This isn't a negotiation. It's a stalemate."

He frowned, and she sighed dramatically, resorting to using hand gesture along with her speech to articulate just how foolish this whole exercise was.

"Cecil wants a ferry system; Edge wants his own airship and doesn't want the _constant noise_ of your stupid flying contraptions taking short-cuts through our air. Cecil says he won't give Edge an airship. Edge says he won't let airships fly over then."

She pinned Kain with an annoyed look, "We go back and forth and sit in boring meetings and _nothing_ gets resolved."

Kain was frowning, but he didn't argue with her assessment of the situation.

They started walking again and he causally commented, "Well, a ferry system would be better. Everyone would benefit from it."

She glared at him, "_Please_ tell me you are not trying to convince me of this outside our designated hours of arbitration."

He shrugged, "I'm just saying. Besides, you never flat out said that _wasn't_ what last night was."

Izayoi laughed, "Are you serious? If it was a clever negotiation tactic, it obviously failed anyway."

They paused outside the door to the meeting room.

"So, I'm not seeing you tonight?"

Izayoi grinned at him, "I didn't say that. But are you sure you want to continue this _conflict of interest?_"

Kain rolled his eyes, "I don't care. If it were up to me, we would have given you your damn airship already."

"And if it were up to me, you'd have your ferry lane with so many restrictions on it you'd soon realize it was a waste to time to cross our airspace." she explained, shrugging.

He sighed, "Too bad it's not up to us."

"True." Izayoi agreed, opening the door, "But I do still have that bottle of rum."

* * *

**These two!**

**I have no idea what even to say. What is there to say?**

**Also, I'm fairly certain it's impossible to drink an entire bottle of scotch and not be hung over, but hey, it's Izayoi...**


	7. Anything but love at first sight

**It's been awhile since I've uploaded a Kizzy, so I threw this together. Enjoy!**

* * *

Izayoi was rather annoyed by her cousin's request, but she'd never let it show. He'd asked her to do something and so she would do it.

Edge, however, frowned at her expression. He was good at reading people, even more so if they were family. "Are you sure it's okay?"

She stared at him flatly, "Yes master, it's fine."

"Oh, hello overly loyal and protective ninja, can I please talk to my obviously annoyed cousin for a second?" Edge said cheerfully.

Izayoi rolled her eyes, not the least bit amused by her cousin's antics. But he had asked for her honesty and so that's what she would give him.

"I don't see why_ I_ have to babysit the gloomy dragoon!" she complained, crossing her arms.

Edge gave her a funny look, "Who else is going to watch him? Zangestu is liable to just walk off, and Tsukinowa…well, he'll probably give Kain a really good reason to impale him."

Izayoi pursed her lips, "What about Gekkou?"

"He's watching Golbby," Edge commented, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.

"Golbby?"

"Golbez." he clarified.

She rolled her eyes again.

"Look," Edge said, shrugging, "You just have to follow him around and make sure he's not going to betray us again. Because, I swear, if he does, I am _going_ to kill someone."

She smirked, watching him fume for a second before asking, "And if I think he is up to no good? What exactly do you want me to do?"

"I'll leave that up to you," he said, all smiles.

Izayoi watched him walk away and called, "You could do this, you know!"

"I'm busy!"

"Like hell you are…" she muttered, heaving a sigh and flipping her ponytail over one shoulder.

She, personally, wasn't all that concerned about Kain and didn't think her time was being used well by watching him and following him so she decided to save them all some trouble.

"I'm supposed to be keeping an eye on you."

Kain stared at her for a second. "And you are?"

Izayoi ignored his question, "I figured I'd just tell you that I'm going to be following you around."

"…Edge's idea?" he asked, frowning.

"Yes."

"Mm."

There was an awkward pause.

Izayou frowned, "That's it? Just….'mm'?"

Kain shrugged, "You're going to follow me no matter what. Did you want me to reply with something else?"

She nodded; he was right after all.

"No."

Another long stretch of silence took place.

Izayoi looked around and then back at Kain, who hadn't moved from leaning against the wall.

"What are you doing?" she finally asked.

He barely glanced in her direction, "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"It looks like your being an obnoxious bastard," she snapped, glaring at him.

"Then that's what I'm doing." he replied.

Was he smirking? She wanted to stab him. This assignment was almost as bad as having to go to Troia.

Almost.

This was a vast waste of her many talents, and she could see being stuck with the job until one of five possible outcomes occurred.

One, they could all die.

Two, they could save the world.

Three, Kain actually did do something.

Four, Edge decided to have her doing something equally as boring.

And five; she got fed up with him and murdered him.

"And you, what is it that you do?" Kain asked out of the blue, glancing at her.

Izayoi paused, "I don't…really get what you're asking,"

"Never mind. Just trying to make conversation." he sighed.

She scoffed and crossed her arms, mimicking his pose of leaning against the wall, though she was off to one side and partially in the shadows. "I'm not here to chit-chat,"

"No, you're here to keep an eye on me." Kain retorted, frowning at her. "I'm a little insulted. If Edge doesn't trust me, then why can't _he_ at least come pester me and not send you?"

She snorted, "Because he's too busy following Rydia around."

"What else is new?" Kain muttered.

Izayoi grinned slightly and gave him a once over, "You look ridiculous, by the way."

"Look who's talking." he shot back. "Seriously, are we just going to trade insults back and forth?"

She shrugged.

"I still didn't get your name," he remarked, turning back to look into the darkened cave.

"Izayoi."

She saw him nod, but there was no further conversation between the two of them.

There was a shout from one of the other tunnels, something about a swarm of those gross floating germs. There was a flash of a spell that made both Kain and Izayoi wince.

"Crystals, who is wasting so much magic power on those?" he said, shaking his head.

Izayoi had already sprung from the wall and she glanced over her shoulder, "My guess is Leonora. She always overkills."

She assumed he would follow her, and honestly she could use the distraction of a battle to get her mind off being annoyed at Edge. Having to actually interact with Kain didn't help. He was irritating.

The scene within the tunnel was a hectic mess of misfired spells and Izayoi skidded to a halt as a stray lightning bolt cleaved a rock mere inches from her.

It was indeed Leonora, looking terrified out of her mind, who was flinging magic at the silent germs.

Izayoi called to her before she killed herself from exhaustion, "Leonora, come here."

The blonde girl looked startled but did as she was told as Izayoi drew her bow from her back.

"Stay here. You're not helping." she snapped.

The mage looked horrified, "S-sorry."

Izayoi didn't bother speaking and instead felled two of the closest monsters with arrows before she had to pause to pull another from her quiver.

The walls were already splattered with the remains of others that Leonora had so haphazardly dispatched, and as Izayoi prepared to strike again, Kain rid the rocky hallway of another two or three.

As she took aim, she gauged the distance and the opening she had between Kain, the wall, and her intended victim. She deemed that with her level of skill she could make the shot.

Assuming a certain someone didn't move.

The arrow flew with swift accuracy and snapped through the middle of one of the microbes, imploding the menace in on itself.

Kain apparently noticed the close shot because she sent her a look that something between angry and startled. Izayoi pretended not to notice and just took out another while he finished off the rest.

Once the passage was completely silent and still, Izayoi replaced her bow and was about to check on the mage behind her when Kain turned and pointed accusingly at her.

"You could have shot me!"

Izayoi rolled her eyes, "Don't be such a baby. It barely _grazed_ you."

"A little warning would have been nice," he continued, "What if I had moved at the last second?"

"Then you'd have an arrow in your shoulder!" she snapped, "_Sorry_ I'm not as overly cautious with a bow as your favorite little white mage."

"_That_ was uncalled for,"

"You're just mad I know your weaknesses."

There was a tense standoff, broken only by Leonora nervously playing with all aspects of her clothing and looking very much like she wanted to bolt.

"…You're almost as annoying as Edge." he said as if it had just occurred to him.

She flipped her hair over one shoulder, "He _is_ my cousin."

There was pause and she was surprised when Kain chuckled, "I hope he tells Rydia that…"

Izayoi made a face and then blinked, "Is that why she keeps glaring at me?"

It was Kain's turn to roll his eyes as he walked past her, heading for the exit of the tunnel. A few feet away he stopped and held up his hands, "Well, are you coming?"

She scowled at him, "Yes."

* * *

**I've had this idea of their first meeting where she almost shoots him in mind for awhile, and then all the other parts of it spiraled out of control...Heh, what can I say? It's Kizzy!**

**Also, there is a call back to Fire and Ice, what with Kain mentioning "I hope he tells Rydia that" and the fact that, in re-reading Fire and Ice, I realized Kain mentions to Rydia that Izayoi "doesn't have much of a personality." Which, NOW, is really funny, considering.**

**Anyway, here you go. Randomness abounds.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	8. Closed Doors

By all rights it was too late at night to be doing anything, let alone discussing shipping contracts and trade agreements and _airship ferry lanes_ for what had to be the hundredth time.

Kain probably shouldn't have been surprised when their conversation had dissolved into more kissing and less talking.

Somehow they both ended up perched on his desk, disrupting all the carefully laid out maps and treaties and letters. Some ended up on the floor, one Izayoi actually read part of before rolling her eyes and crumpling it up, and some were just left where they were and ignored.

It was quite a while later that a raucously loud '_bang_' sound startled both of them enough to make them jump, followed by another that made them turn towards the noise.

Kieran looked prepared to slam the door open against the wall again, but then paused when he saw he had gained their attention. They tried, and likely failed, to pretend to be doing nothing out of the ordinary.

Kieran greeted them with a wave, "Hello, am I…interrupting you two?"

Izayoi flicked loose hairs out of her face though she refused to actually _move_ and left her legs draped over Kain's and dangling off the edge of the desk.

Kain debated pushing her all the way off the desk, but since they'd already been caught and Kieran seemed more amused than anything, he just sighed and tried to not let his frazzled nerves show.

The fact that neither of them was paying enough attention to notice him wander up, or that neither of them had thought to actually close the door, made him cringe.

"Izayoi," Kieran greeted.

She nodded in return, "Kieran."

Kain frowned at her, annoyed that she seemed so overly _fine_ with the whole situation. But instead of commenting on it to her, he scowled at his apprentice. "What do you want?"

"I am here to deliver my _riveting_ report for the last four days of night patrol!" Kieran said in a tone full of false excitement. He brandished a sheaf of papers, "Enjoy!"

Kain's scowled turned into a glare, "You bring me that now? It's two in the morning,"

"Night duty." Kieran reminded him flatly.

Kain rolled his eyes, "It's called knocking."

Kieran shrugged largely, "It's _called_ closing your office door so people don't see you two sucking face. But besides that, I _tried_ knocking, _four times_, but you never answered. And then I _tried _clearing my throat, but, apparently you didn't hear that either…" He grinned slightly, "So, I banged the door a couple of times to get your attention."

Kain just continued to glare at him and he finally waved the report around in a fanciful arc, "So, _captain_, where would you like this report that it won't get destroy by your….activities?"

He couldn't decide if he wanted to impale, strangle or maim his apprentice in that moment. They were all tempting options.

Kieran just waited patiently for an answer, an anything-but-innocent grin on his face.

Kain finally reached out and snatched the papers from his hand, leveling what he hoped was a menacing glare at the young man.

Kieran just smirked at him and gave a sloppy salute before turning to leave. "Have fun you two!" he called before shutting the door, only to open it back up and add, "You want this closed, I assume?"

"Out." Kain said, pointing.

Kieran chuckled and left once and for all, slamming the door behind him.

Izayoi snickered.

"It is not funny."

"I think it is."

"Shut up."

She shrugged, "We can always get him back later."

"Kieran is annoyingly hard to get revenge upon…" Kain muttered, still glaring at the door.

Izayoi leaned forward and plucked the papers from his hand, commenting, "I'll help you plot later." She tossed the report over her shoulder with total disregard and finished, "But I think we were in the middle of something."

"That-"

"Oh, you weren't going to read that anyway,"

"…Alright, true." he conceded.

She snickered and kissed him again.

* * *

**Author's Note: I had this random idea yesterday and decided to write it up quickly. These two...always making out. And how could I resist Kieran being a snarky brat?**

**Thanks for reading!**


	9. Something to talk about

"You know what really gets me?" Izayoi fumed, balancing her bottle on the top of her knee as she stared upward.

Kain turned his head on the ground to frown at her, "You're going to tell me, aren't you?"

She was already talking as he finished; "My cousin doesn't even say anything. Neither does Rydia. In fact, I think she thinks it's funny."

Kain rolled his eyes, returning his attention to the night sky above them. Not that the view was very specular; it was overcast and would probably start raining before the night was out.

It wasn't ideal conditions to be lying on the roof, but there was drinking to be done and he was paranoid someone would catch them if they were inside.

Izayoi had just given him a scornful look but followed him anyway.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me, Kain. I had to listen to your rant about the debacle during maneuvers,"

He glanced at her, annoyed, "That was a serious problem!"

Izayoi snorted before taking a swig from her bottle.

His annoyed expression turned into a scowl, "Misuse of airships can be deadly."

"So can saying the wrong name for the seneschal!" she countered, sending him a quick glare. "I mean, I have an excuse for not remembering the poor man's name. I've been away from Eblan more than I've been home. Edge, on the other hand, what's his excuse?"

"What indeed." Kain muttered, taking his own drink.

Izayoi pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at a particularly dark cloud passing overhead. "Maybe I can have Cuore figure out what his name is…"

"You have Cuore do all sorts of little favors for you," he complained, giving her a funny look.

She shrugged, taking another drink. "What am I drinking again?" Izayoi asked, squinted at the bottle as she held it up.

Kain frowned, "Cognac, and if you ask me one more time I'm going to assume you've had enough and take it from you."

"Touch it and your dead." she threatened, pointing at him.

He sighed.

This was not the first get together the two of them had had. Most of the time they discussed the less impressive parts of their jobs, or complained about tough days they've had.

And of course, they drank.

"Izayoi,"

"What?" she replied, sounding wary.

Kain hesitated, running his fingers over the label of his alcohol. He wasn't sure how to phrase a question to her without it sounding odd.

"What?" she asked again with an annoyed sigh.

"Do you think we should tell people?"

Izayoi sat up and gave him a funny look, "Tell them what?" She set her apparently empty bottle aside, "Tell people that I've finally tried cognac?"

Kain frowned, not sure if she was kidding or not. "No, not that…I mean, tell people that we do this."

"Have late nights drinking expensive and on occasion_, illegal_ alcohol?" she asked with a grin.

He sighed, and she continued, "Or maybe that we rant about our jobs, and the idiots around us? Or maybe that you let me into the restricted section of the castle?"

"Please, you've so been here before."

"What do you mean?"

"Izayoi, you knew exactly where the stairs to the roof were," Kain complained, fixing her with a stern look.

She grinned sheepishly, "I have no idea what you're talking about…"

"Sure you don't…"

She leaned backwards, bracing her elbows on the ground as he frowned, "I just…don't you feel like we're doing…something bad being so secretive?"

Izayoi made a series of faces, obviously disagreeing with him entirely and trying to come up with something smart to comment in return.

Kain just waved a hand dismissively, "Never mind."

He should have known Izayoi wouldn't just leave it be, but even if he had been paying attention, he never would have assumed she would roll over and kiss him.

Despite the suddenness of the action, and the fact that she had caught him completely off guard, he still returned the gesture.

Because if he were being honest, they'd been dancing around _this_ moment for quite a long time now. He just wasn't going to be the one to make the first move.

Because, also if they were being honest, this was a horrible idea.

Izayoi broke the kiss and flicked a hair off her face, grinning, "If you really want to tell people, then let's give them something to talk about."

"I'd rather no one know about _this,_ actually," he replied, perhaps too quickly.

She chuckled lowly, "We think alike. Besides, now that awkward first kiss is out of the way."

Kain stared flatly at her, "You're so considerate."

He watched her reach over, in an attempt to be stealthy, and wrapped her fingers around his bottle of liquor sitting off to the side.

"Hey!" he said, smacking her hand away.

"Mine's empty!" she said, laughing.

He whacked her hand again, "You're so frustrating,"

Izayoi huffed, and he just asked, "Please tell me you did not just kiss me in an attempt to steal my alcohol."

"I'm not _that_ much of a cold hearted bitch," she replied.

Kain grinned, "Good,"

He kissed her this time, indeed glad that first kiss was out of the way. Not that he'd ever tell her that. It would only go to her head, anyway.

There hadn't been enough drinking to blame this obviously foolish course of action on impaired judgment, nor was there any way to go back now.

Regardless, Kain still pulled away enough to make a comment on the subject. "This is a really bad idea…"

She rolled her eyes and muttered; "Since when has that stopped you?" before kissing him again.

As much as he wanted to argue with her, it seemed pointless.

* * *

**Author's Note: I wanted to write something. I've had this little idea in my head for ages.**


End file.
